Maserati Bora

The Ghibli I provided the raw pace but not the sophistication buyers now expected. In 1971 Maserati answered with the Bora: its first mid-engine road car, finally matching the layout that Lamborghini had introduced a decade earlier. Named after the Adriatic wind that sweeps Trieste, the Bora was built until 1978 and served as the technical springboard toward the later MC12.

A welded steel monocoque chassis enclosed the drivetrain amidships, while unequal-length wishbones at each corner gave true four-wheel independent suspension—another manufacturer first. Koni double-acting dampers and a 50/50 weight distribution yielded genuine GT composure, ending Maserati’s lingering reputation for fast but handling-lite cars.

Designer Giorgetto Giugiaro’s ItalDesign studio penned the crisp, low-slung silhouette: 4.33 m long, 1.77 m wide and only 1.14 m high, sitting on a squat 2.6 m wheelbase. Pop-up headlights and a brushed stainless roof panel hinted at aerospace chic, while the 1.83-ton package carefully balanced everyday usability with super-car stance.

Twin overhead-cam V8s (4.7 L and later 4.9 L) delivered 0–60 mph in the low-six-second zone and a 175 mph top end, respectable numbers for the era. Fewer than 600 Boras left the factory—rarer than many contemporaries, making each survivor both reference and investment. The Bora’s mid-engine architecture and all-independent suspension laid the template for every high-performance Maserati that followed.